It's Been a While
by God of Fire
Summary: There's trouble in the wizarding world when no one has heard from Harry Potter in ten years.
1. A Rainy Reunion

title: it's been a while  
  
rating: PG  
  
keywords: H/HR G?d R/O  
  
category: romance, angst  
  
summary: there is trouble in the wizarding world when no one has talked to harry in almost ten years.  
  
disclaimer: they belong to jk rowling.  
  
a/n: it being so short lets me post at least once a day. check back often. REVIEW  
  
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The rain came at first in small drops that hit the windshield of Hermione's car one at a time. They splattered and ran down and out of her vision, making a small trail of liquid as they did so. It wasn't long after that the rain came a little harder and the drops began to get larger, impairing Hermione's vision of the London roads even more so than before.  
  
A car darted out in front of Hermione and she came to a screeching hault just before ramming into the other vehicle. The driver waved their hand at her and drove off. Hermione's heartbeat slowed down a little and she began to drive again, slower this time.  
  
She pulled her car to a stop beside the curb of a large apartment building across the street from a sidewalk cafe. She looked over to see that there was no one outside as the rain went from a good shower to a straight downpour.  
  
"Great," she muttered as she reached back in the backseat to get an umbrella. She felt around and then turned to see that she hadn't brought one. It was probably still in the apartment sitting by the door where she normally left it.  
  
With a heavy sigh she reached in her purse and took out her wand, muttering a spell to protect her from the rain. She opened her car door and was happy to see that at least the spell had worked.  
  
She ran quickly to the door and stuck her key in the lock, opening the door and walking inside, muttering 'finite incantatem'. She walked over to the apartment door with the number 24 on it and she unlocked that one, walking inside. Just as she had said it would be, the umbrella was next to the door. In fact, it fell in her path and she tripped on it, falling on the floor hard.  
  
"Damnit," she cursed as she stood back up and put the umbrella in the nearest closet. She took off her coat and hung it on a hanger, making sure that it wouldn't fall. She kicked her wet shoes off and let them settle just outside of the closet door. She would be sure not to trip on them later, she told herself silently.  
  
She picked up her remote control from off of the coffee table as she walked into the living room and turned the television on, flipping through channels before settling on a movie. She threw the remote control down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to get something to eat.  
  
It had been a long day at the clinic. It seemed like all of the muggle children in London were getting sick at the onset of the approaching month of November. And just because Hermione was the most famous and recognized pediatrician in England, she was the one that had to spend her time curing them.  
  
Hermione opened the nearest cabinet and pulled out a large coffee mug. She set it down on the counter and pulled out a box from the other side of the kitchen. She poured the contents of a packet of hot chocolate into the mug and filled it with hot water.  
  
"Finally," Hermione mumbled as she drank most of the contents of the mug in one long drink. She set the mug down and walked over to the refrigerator and yanked the door open to see what was inside. She had gone shopping the previosu night, and there had to be something.  
  
She moved some things around until she found an open can of sliced pineapples in the back. She grabbed the can and pulled it out, shutting the refrigerator door. She opened a drawer and pulled out a fork, and then marched back into the living room to sit on the couch and finish the movie that was on.  
  
An hour later Hermione was up pacing the apartment. She looked around at the pictures on the walls of her friends and family. Specifically of the picture that hung as the centerpiece over her fireplace of her, Harry, and Ron.  
  
The picture had been taken just after their graduation celebration at Hogwarts. They were walking down the step from Gryffindor Tower with Hermione in the middle, her arms looped through each of theirs'. They were wearing beautiful blue robes that billowed out behind them. Smiles lit their faces as big as the one that Hermione had now. She always smiled when she saw that picture.  
  
That was the last picture that had been taken of the three of them together. It was almost ten years old.  
  
"Ten years," she said softly as she turned to walk back to the couch.  
  
After having graduated Hogwarts, the three of them had been seperated in life. Ron had become a family man, marrying a Scottish witch that he had met on one of his ministry trips. He had become an auror an had two children with another on the way.  
  
Hermione wasn't quite sure of what Harry did. She hadn't talked to him since that day. Of course she and Ron had kept in touch, but Harry had just faded into the background. But not in her mind. She thought about him all the time.  
  
She was so lonely in life. Her work consumed her and made sure that she didn't have a social life. Every once in a while she would get a break, but she would spend her time with her parents who she rarely got to see.  
  
While Hermione thought about this, a knock came on the door. She looked over at the clock on the wall to see that it was still early, about six o'clock.  
  
"I got off earlier than I thought," Hermione said as she walked over to the door. She opened it to see Ron standing there with a large smile on his face.  
  
"Hello, you old witch," he said as she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek lightly, pulling back to examine him. It had been at least two years since hse had seen him in person. "You going to invite me in, or do I have to stand outside all afternoon?"  
  
Hermione ushered him in and shut the door. She looked him over again and smiled brightly.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"I can turn around and leave if you'd like," ron said playfully as he turned to walk toward the door. Hermione grabbed his arm and he stopped. "You know," he said as he went and sat down on her couch. "I actually stopped by to see if you got an invitation to Hogwarts for next week."  
  
"Yeah, I did. I plan on going. What about you?"  
  
"Of course. Moira and the kids are coming with me."  
  
"How are the kids? How's Moira? I'll bet she's cursing you for getting her pregnant again."  
  
"Yeah, she's not very happy. But if she loves me as much as she says she does, then we'll be fine," Ron said with a laugh. "You should see Johnathon. He's growing out of his red hair. First Weasley in fifty years not to have red hair."  
  
"I'll bet your mother isn't happy."  
  
"She hasn't seen him in months, so she doesn't know."  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows and gave him a shocked look. "So why do you think they want us to come to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Who knows. Knowing Dumbledore, it could be anything. You know, I'm really surprised to see taht he's still the headmaster. He's got to be at least ninety years old."  
  
"Not quite that, but getting up there."  
  
"How are you going to get there?" Ron asked.  
  
"Well it's not like we can take the train. I was thinking maybe apparating into Hogsmeade or maybe taking floo powder."  
  
"That would work. Maybe I have an aunt that lives in Hogsmeade."  
  
"Be sure to let me know when you decide."  
  
"Alright. Well anyway, I have to get back. I told Moira I would pick up something to eat on my way home. She should be expecting me soon."  
  
Hermione stood and walked with Ron to the middle of the living room. She hugged him tightly and told him that she'd see him soon. He said goodbye and disapparated, leaving Hermione with a smile on her face.  
  
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END CHAP ONE  
  
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a/n: i want to thank the reviewer who pointed out that i had made a majoy typing error when it said that hermione had an aunt that lived in Hogsmeade. anyway, message me to talk, and be sure to REVIEW 


	2. The Task at Hand

The cool air around Hogwarts had always had a different smell about it than any other place Hermione had ever been. It smelled of magic and good times. The times that her and Ron had shared when at the school in their youth. And even as Ron and Hermione walked up the path to the main entrance, Hermione could still smell it.  
  
They entered the school and looked around. It was the middle of the day and students were running about from place to place, not noticing the two strangers that had just walked in.  
  
Ron nodded at Hermione and they began to walk down the corridor that would take them to Dumbledore's portrait and eventually up to his office. It was a ten minute walk, but they made it there in good time.  
  
Ron gave the password that had been given in his letter and the portait swung open to let the two former students in. Tehy walked up a short flight of stairs and came to a great wooden door. Hermione tentatively reached up and knocked. An old, familiar voice answered and they let themselves in.  
  
Dumbledore looked up from behind his halfmoon glasses and smiled. He stood up to go and embrace his former students. Even after all of the years, he still ahd a fierce life inside of him that didn't stop any of his movements or emotions from being exherted.  
  
"I'm glad that you two decided to come. I wish that it was on better terms that I could see you, but nothing changes in the time of a crisis."  
  
Dumbledore saw the look on their faces and then searched his head for why they looked like that. Then he remembered.  
  
"I didn't tell you why I needed to see you, did I?" he asked with a nervous laugh. Ron and Hermione both shook their heads in the negative and Dumbledore rested his beared chin on his hands.  
  
"Well I do believe that there is a problem in the wizarding world. I don't suppose either of you have spoken to Harry recently, have you?" Once again Ron and Hermione both shook their heads in the negative.  
  
"Well none of us had either. And so we went to look for Mr. Potter. When we found him, we were astonished at what we had found."  
  
"And what was that?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested.  
  
"We found that no one had heard anything from him because he's been living life as a muggle for almost ten years! We sent someone from the ministry to speak to him, but Harry wouldn't say anything."  
  
Ron looked nervously over at Hermione. It wasn't like Harry to just give up his wizarding life no matter how bad it was.  
  
"Then why did you call us here?" Ron asked with an edge in his voice.  
  
"I need you to go and talk to him. We need to find out what's wrong and why he hs chosen what he has. Neither of you may realize this, but the wizarding world needs Harry. He's our protector. Without him, anything could happen."  
  
Hermione sat up and let out a shaky breath. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.  
  
"When do you want us to go talk to him?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I hoped as soon as posible. Just between the three of us and some ministry people, there has been some activity with Voldemort's followers in northern Ireland."  
  
"And you think that maybe Voldemort is trying to come back to power," Ron said in a slightly alarmed voice.  
  
"Precisely. I don't mean to pressure either of you, but we need Harry to come back and soon."  
  
"I don't see this being a problem," Hermione said as she stood up.  
  
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Hermione looked nervously over at Ron as she knocked on the door of Harry's muggle home in Scotland. They waited quietly for a few moments, giving each other reassuring glances that didn't seem to be working too well.  
  
Ron looked up when the door opened. What they saw wasn't exactly what they thought.  
  
It was Harry, but it wasn't. What they saw was a Harry with dark, sullen eyes and long, untamed hair that fell almost to his shoulder. He wore a baggy black shirt and loose-fitting blue jeans. The ten years had sharpened his facial features and he sported a small goatee at the base of his chin. A silver chain adorned his neck and he grabbed at it when he saw them standing on his doorstep.  
  
"Wha...what are you guys doing here?" he asked softly in a rough voice that sounded like it hadn't spoken in years.  
  
"Does it matter why we came? Would you like us to just turn around and apparte back home?" Hermione asked in a harsh tone. Ron noted that Harry flinched slightly at the mention of apparating.  
  
"No, of course not. Come in," Harry said as he fully opened the door and let them walk past. He shut it as they were inside and locked it.  
  
Hermione walked ahead of Ron and examined the room as she entered. It was a small, tidy home that Harry had aparently spent little money on. Hermione sat down on a wooden chair in the corner and Ron took the chair next to it. Harry chose to sit on the floor and he looked at them as he did so, waiting for them to start.  
  
"Harry, what's happened?" Ron asked sternly. "Dumbledore said that you had been living as a muggle."  
  
"I have. It's really not that bad. You should try it sometime."  
  
"Harry, don't you know what is going to happen to the wizarding world if you don't come back?" Hermione asked in a pleading tone.  
  
"What does it matter to me? I chose to leave and I don't wish to come back."  
  
"Harry!" Ron yelled as he stood up. "You're going to be the fall of our world. -Your- world. Don't you see that?!"  
  
Harry stood up and matched Ron's stance and voice tone. "If I didn't know, then I wouldn't have left! There's so much that you don't understand. That I can't explain to you!"  
  
"Why don't you try?" Hermione asked from her chair.  
  
Harry looked at her with lifeless green eyes. He grew quiet and let down his guard, stepping away frm a very defensive Ron. He averted his eyes from the two people and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"I just can't," Harry said inaudibly.  
  
"Hermione, this is obviously getting us nowhere. Let's go," Ron said as he strode to the door. He unlocked it and walked outside, waiting for Hermione.  
  
Hermione walked up to Harry and touched his cheek softly. She turned his face to look at her. She saw in his eyes a decades' worth the hurt. And it killed her inside.  
  
"Harry, you can't tell me that after everything we shared in our last term, you can't talk to me. Not after all of those nights," Hermione said with a smile. She got a small response from Harry, but it was gone seconds later. "And after all the times we shared."  
  
Harry let his head drop and he closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of her. He left out a shaky breath and looked back up to see that she was already walking out the door.  
  
Hermione stepped out into the sunlight with Ron. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she shook her head in response. He shrugged it off and they looked around to make sure that no one was watching. They apparated out and found themselves back in Dumbledore's office.  
  
"How did it go?" Dumbledore asked as he popped a lemon drop in his mouth. "Did he tell you anything?"  
  
Hermione shook her head and frowned. "He wouldn't even tell -me- anything. That right there is saying something. I just wish that I knew what it was that is on his mind."  
  
"Well one thing's for sure. He's awful defensive about something. We've got to get inside his mind and find out tthe problem," Ron added.  
  
"Well, we'll work things out next time. Why don't you two go home and I'll owl you the next time you're needed."  
  
Ron and Hermione nodded and said their goodbyes as they disapparted out of the office and back to their homes for the rest of the day.  
  
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END CHAP TWO  
  
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	3. Dinner at the Burrow

Ron stood in the front foyer of his home in Manchester. He took off his robes, hung them on a hook by the door and trudged into the kitchen where his family was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch.  
  
John, only six but the oldest of his two children, got up out of his chair and came running to his father. Ron stooped and picked the child up, cradling him close. He kissed the top of the child's brown hair.  
  
"What trouble did you get yourself in today?" Ron asked as he put the child back down on the tile floor. John smiled and ran back to his chair without saying anything. That was the best way of letting Ron know that he had been up to something.  
  
"John, what have you done?" Ron asked again playfully.  
  
"It was all Uncle George's fault!" John yelled.  
  
"Uncle George?" Ron asked in a confused voice.  
  
"Yes, Uncle George. And Fred as well, Ronniekins," Fred said as he and his twin brother came walking into the kitchen. They stood on either side of Ron and put their arms around his shoulders.  
  
"How is it that you just go off all day leaving your poor, beautiful wife here with two children to tend to?" George asked as he walked over to Moira who was helping Katie, their youngest two year old child with her plate. George put and arm around her shoulder and she gave him a perplexed look.  
  
"You know, I never did understand you Weasley boys. you think that you always have to go and protect everyone. You don't realize that I, for one, can fend for myself." Moira stepped out of George's embrace and walked over to the other side of the table, sitting in her chair. She took a sip of her water while Ron smiled at her.  
  
Ron walked over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, Love," he said softly. Moira smiled up at him.  
  
"So what are you two doing here? Or is this just another one of your random pop-ins?" Ron asked.  
  
"No, this one has a purpose other than to annoy the hell out of you, I'm afraid," Fred said with a sigh.  
  
"Yes, well, Mum wants all of her children over for dinner this weekend. She says that it's been so long since she's seen any us that she's going mad," George finished.  
  
"Mum going mad? It's a bit late for that, wouldn't you say?" Ron said with a laugh.  
  
"Tsk tsk, talking about your mother like that. You should be ashamed of yourself," Fred said.  
  
"You know I am," Ron finished.  
  
"Well then we'll see you Saturday. Bye!" George said as he and Fred disapparated.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Saturday found Ron and his family at the Burrow for dinner with his siblings and parents. It would be a large occasion since there were seven Weasley children and their families who would also be attending. Altogether there would be about thirty people.  
  
Ron stood in the foyer being hugged and kissed by his mother. She hadn't seen him since the last family dinner which had been back in June. Since then there had been two new additions to the family, thanks to Bill and his wife. They had had a set of twin girls in Late September.  
  
Molly weasley had moved on from Ron and was greeting Moira. She always had liked Moira better than her other daughter-in-laws. A scream came from behind him and Ron jumped. He turned and saw that Molly had seen John's hair. In any other normal family hair wouldn't have been a big deal. But since they -were- the Weasleys, and tradition was to be upheld.  
  
"Ronald Weasley! What is this?" Molly asked as she ran her hands through her grandson's brown hair. Ron laughed and told her what it was and it earned him a slight swat at his arm.  
  
Arthur Weasley appeared from around a corner and Ron walked up, embracing his father in a tight hug.  
  
"It's good to see you, Dad," Ron said as he pulled away. Arthur held his youngest son at an arms' length away and examined him.  
  
"You look good, son."  
  
Ron peered around the corner and saw that his older brother Charlie was sitting at the table sharpening a very large knife. Ron walked in and sat down in a chair near him.  
  
"In some families it would be considered normal to -not- sharpen knives at the kitchen table," Ron said with a smirk.  
  
"Well in some families the kids wouldn't have to spend time with a growing Hungarian Horntail, now would they?"  
  
Charlie stopped long enough to examine the blade, cutting his thumb slightly. He frowned but continued sharpening.  
  
"So Ginny's bringing the boyfriend tonight," Charlie said unhappily.  
  
Everyone in the Weasley family had heard stories about the boyfriend. No one knew who he was. Ginny kept that a well-guarded secret from everyone. Especially her brothers. She knew how they liked to play 'harmless' games with all of her boyfriends.  
  
"We're here!" Ron and Charlie heard their twin brothers exclaim as they apparated into the kitchen. Instead of landing somewhere normal like other witches and wizards, they had landed on top of the kitchen table.  
  
"Can't you two stupid gits apparate like normal people?" Charlie asked. The twins looked at each other and shrugged. They climbed down off of the table and walked around the corner to see who was there.  
  
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Almost everyone was there for dinner and they were just sitting around waiting for Ginny to come so they could start eating. In all reality, the men couldn't care any less about dinner right then. They just wanted to meet the new boyfriend. Maybe have a short talk with him.  
  
The table was heavy in conversation to pass the time when the front door clicked open. The twins, having sensitive hearing, heard it first. They smiled wickedly at each other first before looking around and catching the attention of their other brothers.  
  
Silence swept over the table as Ginny came walking in. She smiled at her family and laughed at the shock on their faces when the boyfriend stepped around the corner to wrap his arms around her waist from behind.  
  
Draco Malfoy. Her brother's faces turned into very defiant sneers as they sat at the table, each wondering who would stand up to take the first punch.  
  
"Well don't just sit there and stare," Ginny said as she and Draco moved to sit in the two chairs that had been placed by her parents. It was probably a good thing that they sat at that end of the table.  
  
After a few minutes of awkward silence, conversation began again at the table and things were semi-normal. Glances were thrown in Ginny and Draco's direction every few minutes, but they were behaving themselves and not giving any reason for a beating later.  
  
After dinner was done, Ginny helped her mother with the dishes while her brothers took Draco out back for a small talk. This was much to Draco's protest.  
  
"So Malfoy," Ron began. "How did you end up getting your slimy hands on our sister?"  
  
"Yes, enlighten us," Percy said.  
  
"I, uh...I..." Draco began.  
  
"What's wrong? You aren't scared, are you?" Fred asked. George finished with, "There's no reason to be scared. We're just having a friendly chat."  
  
Small laughter was exchanged throughtout the Weasleys as Draco stood there fidgeting. He gained some nerve and tried to stand up for himself. "Look, I'm not here for a fight."  
  
"Are you sure? It could be arranged," Charlie said as he grabbed the handle on his knife.  
  
"What's so wrong about about me dating your sister? I love her," Draco said. Small glances were exchanged around the group of Weasleys.  
  
"Do you now? We'll see about that," Bill said.  
  
"Just rememebr that if you -ever- hurt Ginny, you've got to answer to us. We're watching your back. Always," Percy finished. The group of Weasleys walked back in the house. Draco stood outside in the darkness for a while, almost scared to go back inside.  
  
Much to Draco's relief, Ginny came walking outside. she strolled up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't let them bother you," she said.  
  
"It's no wonder why you haven't ever kept a boyfriend for vey long. Not with all of their threats," Draco said as he kissed her softly on the lips. They stayed that way for a very long time, just enjoying each other's company.  
  
"You aren't just my boyfriend, you know," Ginny said with a smile.  
  
"I'm not?" Draco asked eith a quirked eyebrow.  
  
"No. You're my lover as well."  
  
"Oh, that explains it. You know, I think we could both use a little -love- right now," Draco joked.  
  
"I think you might be right. If you'll give me a minute, we can apparate home. I just have to go clear something up and say some goodbyes."  
  
Draco nodded and released Ginny to go and walk in the house.  
  
She stormed in and found all of her brothers crowded around a chessboard in the living room, chatting and laughing happily. She stood on the outside of the group with her arms crossed and an evil glare on her face. Bill turned around to look at her.  
  
"Hey, Gin," he said. The group looked up at her and immediately knew what was coming.  
  
"What do you think you were -doing- out there?" she asked loudly. Molly Wealsley stuck her head around the corner to see what was going on.  
  
"We were just talking to him," Percy defended.  
  
"Talking does -NOT- involve -THREATENING- him!" Ginny yelled, her voice growing louder.  
  
"But we didn't-" Ron began defensively.  
  
"I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE -SADLY- MISTAKEN, RON," Ginny yelled. Her face grew rad and she clenched her fists. "If I -ever- hear about you talking to Draco like that again, you'll answer to me," Ginny said softer. The meaning was not lost in her words. "I don't really give a shit about what -any- of you think about my realtionship. It's not yours to decide upon. But you might as well learn to accept him as a brother, because I love him. And that's all that matters," Ginny said. She turned and walked out of the room, saying goodbye to her mother and sisters-in-law.  
  
The men all looked at each other hesitantly, the burn of Ginny's words still stinging them. They were pretty sure that she had meant what she had said. They had never heard her talk to them like this about any of her boyfriends. It was almost strange.  
  
But then again she had her mother's temper, and things made sense.  
  
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END CHAP THREE  
  
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a/n: i just had to puit some g/d in it. just had to. but don't mistake me. they'll be used later in the story. and yes, there will be some h/hr in the next chap, i think. REVIEW!(the more you review, the more ppl notice, and you cane say, 'ha! i read it before you!) 


	4. A Lonely Memory

Hermione found herself standing in the middle of her bedroom after having disapparated from Dumbledore's office. She let out a heavy sigh and walked into her bathroom.  
  
"God I need a hot shower," she mumbled as she reached in and turned on her shower, filling the room with steam as the water heated. She freed herself of her clothes and walked under the hot spray, letting it cover her body. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.  
  
"What have you done, Harry," Hermione said as she moved to let the scalding water fall on her head.  
  
She reached over and grabbed a bar of soap, the foam forming as she rubbed it across her skin. In a sense she was washing her body of the day's turmoil. And as she began to think about Harry and the way he had acted towards her and Ron, she remembered the times that they had shard when they were at Hogwarts in their seventh year.  
  
She thought about all of the kisses and the long walks. The late night talks that turned into even later nights in his prefect bedroom...  
  
It had been a year full of surprises, but upon graduation, everything that they had shared was shattered. Then a forgotten memory came into mind.  
  
-=-=-=-=-  
  
Their graduation from Hogwarts had occured only three weeks ago. Things were still very confusing for Hermione and at times she wondered if her world was really upside down. Some things had straightened themselves out, though. She had found a stable place to live in London. A rather cozy muggle apartment across the street from a small sidewalk cafe that she had stopped at frequently.  
  
Hermione was looking out her window at the cafe. It was getting late and the owners of the small cafe were closing the place down. She watched as the lights went out and the people locked up for the night.  
  
Hermione turned around and began to walk into her bedroom when she ran into someone. Startled, she jumped back until she saw that it was Harry.  
  
"Hey, you," she said kindly. Harry didn't smile back or speak to her. He just stood there and looked sullen. There was something about his eyes that told an unwanted story. He just wasn't himself.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked as she walked over to him. He opened his mout and tried to speak, but no words came out. Instead, his body collapsed and he fell into her arms. He cried softly, his tears faling onto her shirt. She said soft, meaningless comforts into his ear.  
  
"I've failed you, Mione. I don't know what to do," Harry said weakly. Hermione pulled his face back and looked at him. She wiped some of the tears away from his face and smiled.  
  
"You haven't failed me. You could never fail me," Hermione said softly. She leaned close into him and kissed his lips gently. He gave up trying to speak and kissed her back with a fierce intensity.  
  
Before either of them could consciously know it, clothes were being ripped off and kisses were being shared as they made their way stumbling to te bedroom.  
  
Some time later Hermione remembered waking up to a cold, empty bed beside her. She frowned when all she saw was a note left on the pillow. She covered her naked form as she sat up and read the note through watery eyes.  
  
Mione~  
  
I wanted to be here when you woke up. Be the first thing that you would see every morning for the rest of your life. But not everything goes as planned. In the name of love I have to give up what we would have shared for something that means more to me than I ever thought anything would. I hope you can forgive me.  
  
I Love You Always,  
  
Harry  
  
Hermione clenched the letter tightly in her fist after she had finished reading it. Tears dripped down her cheeks and landed on the soft material of the blankets that Harry had just laid on hours before. The note was laid back down on his pillow crumpled and torn. Hermione walked to the window baring nothing but her skin, and she looked outside to see the rain.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Hermione came out of her flashback and turned off the water to her shower. She stepped out and walked over to her mirror. She wiped the fog off of the surface and looked at herself. She tried to smile but found that it didn't work, so she turned and grabbed a bathrobe and walked out into her bedroom.  
  
She found a shirt and some pajama pants hanging over a chair and she put them on quickly. After finishing dressing, she went into her living room and paced for a while. No matter where in her apartment she paced, she always ended back in front of her firecplace, staring at the picture of her, Ron, and Harry.  
  
She reached up touch it when a warm hand came and touched her on the shoulder. She jerked around and looked at the person touching her. It was Harry. He smiled a little and removed his hand from her shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Hermione said when she found her voice.  
  
"I felt bad for not having spoken to you today. I wanted to come and talk."  
  
Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow and motioned for the two of them to go and sit on the couch. they did and they spent some time just sitting and looking over each other. Hermione was the first one to break the silence.  
  
"Harry, why did you leave the wizarding world?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Because I couldn't stay," he said as he looked at his feet.  
  
"Why couldn't you stay?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Because I would be tempted."  
  
"Tempted by what?"  
  
"Magic."  
  
Hermione tried to think and understand about what Harry was talking about. But she really didn't know, and so she questioned him.  
  
"Care to elaborate?" she said.  
  
"Did you ever wonder why I left you?" Harry said out of nowhere. Hermione stiffened and managed to nod her head at the question. "I left you for your safety. I made a pact with...with Voldemort three weeks after our graduation."  
  
"You made a pact with Voldemort?" Hermione asked in a shocked voice.  
  
"Yes. It was the only thing I could do at the time. We made a deal over your safety. He told me that he wouldn't harm you if I would stop using magic." Harry paused for Hermione to register the information. "I made him the promise and we made a wizards' pact. You know they can't be broken." Hermione nodded silently. Harry continued, "I left that meeting and swore to myself that I would keep that promise because I loved you so much."  
  
Hermione let a tear roll down her cheek and fall onto the couch. Harry wiped it away and continued to talk.  
  
"I came to the apartment that night to tell you what I had done, but when I saw you, I knew that I couldn't be in the picture if I couldn't use my magic. I just felt like I wouldn't be good enough for you."  
  
Harry looked over at Hermione to see that she was looking very strangely at him. It was a half thankful and half regretful look. The tears had stopped and she stared at him. All of a sudden life flared back into her eyes.  
  
"You thought that you wouldn't be good enough for me?" Hermione asked incredulously. Harry meerly nodded at her, his speech having stopped. "I can't believe you. you left me alone all this time just because you didn't think that you'd be good enough for me."  
  
"I wasn't thinking," Harry said defensively.  
  
"Then why didn't you come back to me?!" Hermione said, standing up.  
  
"Once I had left, I just couldn't bring myself to do it."  
  
Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose as she did when she was upset or tired. She looked back up at Harry and pointed to the door.  
  
"I don't think I can deal with all of this or with -you- right now. Just give me some time and get out," Hermione said sharply.  
  
Harry nodded and stood up, going to the door and opening it. He took one last look at Hermione and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Hermione stood in the middle of her living room staring at the back of the closed door.  
  
After a while she felt like her mind was caving into itself. Everything she thought had a contradictory effect to itself. And then when she pondered the thoughts, more thoughts surfaced, giving her a stuffy feeling.  
  
Her temper soon began to flare. Not only at herself, but at Harry for leaving her alone all those years ago, and just moments before. She was pissed for everything that he had ever done to her or anyone in general. The picture hanging over the fireplace began to make her angry. She stared at it until her temper flared and got the best of her. She needed something to make the picture quit moving. Something heavy... She went to pick up a book off of the coffee table.  
  
Her fingers had barely touched it when she felt a pulling feeling behind her navel. She kept her eyes shut tight when she realized that the book she had gone to pick up had been a portkey.  
  
Soon she felt the hard ground beneath her feet and she opened her eyes to see a man in black standing before her, smiling.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP FOUR  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: ooohhhh.....i have never done a cliffhanger before. who is the strange man in black? stay tuned for our next episode of 'it's been a while'. thanks to rangerprincess56's idea for the portkey. and be sure to REVIEW 


	5. Her Guilty Conscience

Hermione stared straight ahead at the man in black standing before her. It was a face she hadn't seen in years. Not since graduation when he had made an appearance for Harry. But that had been the last time she had seen him because...  
  
"You're dead. What the hell is this?" Hermione said as she walked over to him.  
  
Sirius laughed and looked down at his feet with a shy smile. He brought his eyes back up to meet hers and he spoke softly. "This is me needing desperately to speak with you about Harry."  
  
Hermione visibly flinched and looked away from Sirius' eyes. She was afraid of her eyes telling him a story that he didn't need to know. But being Sirius, he would probably know anyway. He always knew. Especially if it involved his godson.  
  
"Harry and I, well, we-" Hermione was cut off.  
  
"Had a falling out. Yes, I know. And you two had better patch things up quickly because there's going to be trouble."  
  
"It's not easy to patch things up if you haven't seen the man in ten years. I don't know if I'll ever- trouble? What kind of trouble?" Hermione's tone changed drastically.  
  
"Voldemort is planning something. Not sure what, but if Harry isn't back then things are going to get bad."  
  
"Harry won't do anything," Hermione said as she fingered the silver necklace around her neck.  
  
"Yes, I've heard the story. He made a pact with Voldemort and blah blah blah... It's touching, really. But you had better think of something, Hermione. You're a clever witch."  
  
"I know this is totally off the subject, but what the hell is this place?" Hermione asked as she looked around at the entirely black space that they stood in. "And how can I be talking to you if you're dead? You -are- dead, right?"  
  
"I can't explain to you what this place is. It has no explanation. But I can tell you this much: I am in fact dead. Have been since the day Voldemort killed me."  
  
The words flowed so easy out of Sirius's mouth like they were nothing at all. Hermione thought back to the day that she had recieved news that Sirius had died. It had been the day after Harry had left her. An epiphany hit her.  
  
"Were you with Harry when he made his pact to Voldemort?" Hermione asked.  
  
Sirius looked away at some point in the black space. He opened his mouth to speak, but the lack of words told Hermione everything that she needed to know. And then she felt hopelessly bad for yelling at Harry the way she had.  
  
"Sirius," Hermione said as she took another step forward. "Why were you killed?"  
  
Sirius took in a deep breath. "I promised Harry before I died that I would never tell you. But now everyone's lives hang on the line." Sirius stopped to collect his thoughts. "I was killed as a warning to Harry after he sealed his deal with Voldemort. I was killed to make sure that Harry would keep true to his word and not use magic."  
  
A silent tear slipped from Hermione's eye and landed without a sound on the surface beneath her feet. "I'm so sorry," she said softly.  
  
Sirius smiled and shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry about. But you -do- still need to try and patch things up with Harry as quickly as possible. No one knows when Voldemort will be back."  
  
Hermione nodded once and watched as the book that had brought her there floated in front of her face. Sirius smiled and took a step back, fading into darkness. Hermione reached out and touched the book. She felt the familiar tugging at her navel and not long after she was standing back in her home.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
It had taken Harry a little longer than he had thought it would to get home. But he had afterall stopped by his favorite bar for a gin and tonic, his favorite muggle drink. It was nightfall by the time he got to his home.  
  
Harry unlocked the door to his home and stepped inside. He took off his shoes and threw them in the middle of the floor to trip over later. He walked back into his bedroom and stripped of his clothes, stepping into the shower down the hall not long after.  
  
The front door that he had forgotten to lock clicked open. A distraught and nervouos looking Hermione stepped through and walked inside, closing the door softly behind her. She slipped out of her jacket and threw it on a chair upon walking in the living room. She saw Harry's shoes laying in the middle of the floor.  
  
Somewhere in the back of her mind the sound of running water was brought to her attention. She looked down the hall to see a light shining from behind a door.  
  
Curiosity got to her and she walked down, pressing her ear against the door. She realized that the shower was on and she could hear Harry humming lightly inside. She smiled. Harry had always loved to sing in the shower.  
  
She heard the water stop and she backed away from the door. She pressed herself against the wall behind her and waited. Not long after the door opened and Harry, clad only in a towel around his waist, stood in the doorway facing her.  
  
He looked at her awkwardly and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned against the doorway and looked her over.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.  
  
"I came to apologize. I was wrong."  
  
"You were wrong?" Harry said incredulously.  
  
"Yes. And I just wanted to come and tell you that. It was wrong of me to yell at you like I did. I know you were just looking out for me."  
  
Harry looked down at the floor and brushed past her toward the direction of his bedroom. Hermione tentatively followed suit and sat down on the edge of his bed as he searched through his closet for something to wear.  
  
Harry pulled a pair of pajama pants out of the closet and threw them over the back of a chair. He went and found a pair of blue silk boxers folded neatly in a pile of clothes in the corner. Harry was very aware of the sharp intake of breath that Hermione had taken when he dropped the towel from around his waist.  
  
"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Harry said as he pulled his pants on. He turned around and saw that Hermione was staring at him with hungry eyes. This made him smile.  
  
"So is there any other reason you came over?" Harry asked a he moved toward the bed.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP FIVE  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: yeah, so this chap is a bit shorter than i had hoped, but this seemed like the best place to stop it. i hope you guys are reviewing every chap you read. i use some of the ideas that ppl give me in the story. you might get chosen. so REVIEW or MESSAGE ME 


	6. The Morning Mail

The brightness of the morning light was too much to keep a bed with two sleeping occupants awake. The man's silver hair gleamed in the sunlight and then hit his face as he rolled over on his back. He reached a hand over and ran a finger down his sleeping partner's arm. She opened her eyes quickly as if she had been awake the whole time.  
  
"Good morning, beautiful," Draco said in a sleepy voice. Ginny smiled and reached over, kissing his shoulder lightly.  
  
"It may be a good morning with you here beside me, but it was an even better night last night with you on top of me," Ginny said with a seductive smirk.  
  
Draco winked at her and in one quick motion was laying on top of her, his weight supported by his elbows. He kissed her nose and she giggled. She kissed his nose back.  
  
"You keep doing that and we won't make it out of bed today," Ginny said as she watched her finger move up Draco's arm.  
  
"Who said that we needed to go anywhere?" Draco said as he kissed her before she could reply.  
  
Ginny sighed into him and the rest of the morning was shared between the two of them making love.  
  
Sometime around lunch Draco left Ginny sleeping in the bed and got up. He put on some seblance of pajamas and made his way to the kitchen. He needed coffee. And he needed it badly.  
  
As he was standing at the counter, an owl flew through an open window and dropped a letter in front of him. He put down his cup of coffee and picked up the note. It held his father's handwriting.  
  
Draco,  
  
I haven't spoken to you in a long time. I hope you are well. It has been brought to my attention that the Dark Lord will be requiring some new help as of this coming month. I assume that I will be hearing from you on this matter soon. If not, expect a visit. Play your role, son.  
  
Lucius Malfoy  
  
Draco folded the letter and held it in his hand for a few more moments. He let the full meaning of his father's words from the letter sink in. 'Requiring some new help'. The words flowed through Draco's mind like fire.  
  
"Who's that from, Honey," Ginny said as she walked into the kitchen. Draco heard her open the refrigerator door and move some things around. He shoved the letter into the trash bin and covered it up with the nearest thing he could find.  
  
"Oh, just a letter from my aunt," he lied.  
  
"Everything alright?" she asked as she found an apple and began to eat it.  
  
"Yeah, everything's just fine," he said as he took the apple from her and took a large bite out of it.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
The house was silent as Harry strolled down the hallway from his bedroom to enter the living room. Not watching where he was going, he tripped on his shoes and went falling face first onto the floor. A stiffled laugh came from behind him and he got up to see Hermione standing there in one of his shirts and a pair of his running shorts.  
  
"I don't think you could look an sexier," Harry said as he walked over to her.  
  
"I'm wearing your clothes. Maybe that has something to do with it," Hermione siad as she gave him a very welcome good morning kiss.  
  
"Last night was incredible," Harry said as he scooped her up in his arms and crossed the living room to sit down in his favorite recliner. She curled up against his chest and sighed happily.  
  
"After ten years of being away from you, I don't think I'm going to be able to stay away for very long," Hermione said.  
  
"We'll just see what we can do about that, then."  
  
"That sounds promising."  
  
"It should. Now that I come to think about it, how did I ever live without you?" Harry asked.  
  
"I'll bet it wasn't easy," Hermione said with a laugh. "But now that I've got you, I'm not letting go."  
  
Harry smiled and reached over to grab the remote. He flipped the televsion on and they stayed in the comforts of the house for the rest of the day wrapped up in nothing but each other.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
A man in dark blue robes sat waiting in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron. He had been there for several minutes before another man with silver hair matching his own came walking in. He joined him at the table and the two men began to converse over a few drinks.  
  
"Draco," Lucius acknowledged.  
  
"Father," Draco replied.  
  
"Did you recieve my letter?" Lucius asked.  
  
"I got it," Draco said in a very subtle tone.  
  
"Good. Have you thought about the upcoming initiation that I told you of?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And what will you do when the time comes? Will you make me proud?"  
  
Draco sat there looking at his glass of vodka. He stared at it thinking of what to tell his father. Had this opportunity been presented to him years before, or maybe even months, then he might have taken it. But now that he had Ginny, nothing else mattered but her. And he wanted to keep her safe.  
  
"I don't think I can," Draco said slowly. Lucius' face fell.  
  
"Why the hell not? Are you not proud of the foundation for greatness that I have built for you?"  
  
"It's not that. I'm grateful, but I just can't. Being a deatheater isn't for me. I have to start thinking about my life as it involves other people now."  
  
Lucius raised an eyebrow. Draco had not told him about Ginny. "What other people?"  
  
"I have a girlfriend now, father. I love her and I can't let this get between her and I."  
  
"If she truly loved you then maybe she would understand what this means for you," Lucius spat through clenched teeth.  
  
"I'm sorry, father. But I just don't see it happening."  
  
Lucius got very angry and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "The Dark Lord will not be happy to hear this."  
  
Draco drew his lips into a thin line. He adverted his eyes from his father's, looking at the other patrons in the establishment. He heard the scraping of a chair and looked up to see his father standing. He stood as well.  
  
Lucius walked over to his son and without saying a word, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him to the ground. He stood over him and said, "Hold your place in this family." And then he took a few steps, disapparating out.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP SIX  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: i liked this chap. it was fun writing it. really. so here you go. and REVIEW! 


	7. That Strange Feeling

a/n: yeah, some of you are wondering how harry got to hermione's apartment so quickly. and since he can't apparate because that's magic, i only have one answer for you. i don't know. so just ignore taht and go with it. somethings just can't be explained. like my bad typing mishaps.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So how did it go?" Dumbledore asked. "What did he tell you?"  
  
Hermione played with her fingers, a knowing smile played across her lips. Ever since she had apparated in, she had ignored Dumbledore's eyes and kept to her own. She knew that she was being very childish, but she didn't care.  
  
"He wouldn't tell us anything," Hermione said. Dumbledore's face fell. "Not at first, anyway." Dumbledore's face lit back up and he leaned over his desk, waiting to hear more. "But he came to my apartment not long after and told me about everything."  
  
"What did he say?" Dumbledore asked quizzically.  
  
Hermione spent a few minutes telling Dumbledore about the pact, and about how the book was a portkey. Even she had not told this to Harry, but Dumbledore needed to know.  
  
"Is that the only thing that happened?" Dumbledore asked. For the first time in their meeting of the day, Hermione met Dumbledore's eyes. Immediately she wished she hadn't, because a bright blush entered her cheeks and she turned her face away from him, looking out the window.  
  
"Hermione?" Dumbledore asked playfully.  
  
"Well, I uh," Hermione stumbled for words. "We..."  
  
"I think I get the idea," Dumbledore said. His eyes twinkling. "Just couldn't keep your hand off of each other, could you?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Well, in any case, I'm glad that the both of you are happy. But don't forget that you have a task at hand. Harry -must- come back to the wizarding world."  
  
"I know. And I'm trying to think of a way," Hermione said.  
  
"And we are as well. You're not alone on this."  
  
"It's good to know. But I must be getting back. I have work in the morning."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and walked over to embrace Hermione in a crushing hug. She hugged him back and smiled at him as she disapparated.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Hermione ended up not back her own apartment, but at Harry's home. She was about to come in when she heard some voices coming from around the back of the house. Curiosity getting to ehr, she walked stealthily to where she could listen better.  
  
"...had beeter be keeping up with things," a man whose voice she did not recognize said. "Just one little spell and we're on her faster than you can get to her."  
  
"You think I'd be stupid to not to know that?" This was Harry's voice.  
  
"He's watching over you always."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"It's a good thing that you do. You wouldn't want your little girlfriend to get herself hurt, would you?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't. That's why I made the pact, you stupid git."  
  
Hermione winced as she heard the sound of someone geting hit. Hard. She assumed it was Harry from the way the other man was laughing. She had the sudden urge to go marching around to the back of the house, but she knew that wouldn't be a good idea for either her or Harry.  
  
"I'll be seeing you again." Then she heard the familiar pop of someone apparating out.  
  
Hermione walked softly to the front door of the house ad waited five minutes. Then she walked insdie to see Harry sitting in his favorite chair, his jaw swelling up from the hit that he had recieved.  
  
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said as she ran over to him. "What happened?" She touched his jaw and he pulled his face back in pain.  
  
"I tripped and my jaw hit the side of the counter ver there. You know how clumsy I am."  
  
Hermione could visibly tell that he was lying, but she didn't say anythign about it. Instead, he pulled her up into his lap and cradled her in his arms. They stayed like that for a long time.  
  
"Are you ever going to come back to the wizard world?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea."  
  
"Why wouldn't it be? You don't have to do magic to come back."  
  
"But it would still be so risky. I wouldn't want to come close to doing anything that would hurt you."  
  
"But you just don't seem happy with your muggle life. I want to see you happy."  
  
"I'm happy as long as I'm with you, Mione. But if you want me to come back, I will. But it won't be easy for me."  
  
"I know it won't. But I'll help you with it."  
  
Harry nodded and kissed the top of her head and then down to kiss her lipos, ignoring the pain that was radiating in his jaw. Hermione didn't, though and she pulled back.  
  
"Harry, we ned to do something about your jaw."  
  
"Maybe some ice?" he said as she got up and walked into the kitchen. He followed her every step, watching as she filled a small plastic bag with ice.  
  
"I didn't know that you knew muggle healing," Harry said with a small smile.  
  
"Harry, I'm a muggle pediatrician."  
  
"Really? I would have thought that you'd be working in Hogwarts or something by now."  
  
"Oh, I got offers. McGonagall offered me a spot teaching muggle studies, but I just wanted to feel useful."  
  
"You're useful to me," Harry said as she put the bag of ice against his jaw. It felt good against the hot skin. Hermione just stood there with her arms crossed, looking at him.  
  
"As much as I'd like to be useful to you, I'm afraid that I have work to attend to. I expect you at my house tomorrow afternoon, though. Just let yourself in," she said as she gave him a spare key. "And we'll go to Diagon Alley."  
  
She reached up and gave him a kiss on his good cheek and disapparated from the room with a loud pop.  
  
Harry smiled brightly and winced when the pain came back to his jaw. Hopefully the swelling would go down by the next day. He didn't want to go wandering around Diagon Alley with people staring at him for the first time in ten years with a jaw the size of an orange.  
  
He laughed at the thought and walked out of his kitchen and back into the living room. He sat in his chair for a while just thinking about Hermione and how everything she did captivated him. That brought back one of his favorite memories from their seventh year at Hogwarts...  
  
It was midnight on a Tuesday night at Hogwarts and Harry was laying on his bed not able to sleep. He tried everything he could possibly imagine, but nothing seemed to work. He needed to get up and do something.  
  
Slowly and very quietly he opened and shut the door to his bedroom and walked down the hall of the boys' dorm and climbed down the stairs. His face was down toward the floor and he wasn't aware that he wasn't the only one awake.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, he ran right into Hermione. She would have yelled out if she knew that it wouldn't wake anyone else. But instead, she jumped and fell backwards, grabbing the nearest thing to her. That happened to be the front of Harry's shirt. And so he fell with her.  
  
They both landed on the floor together, him on top of her. The shock of having fallen was enough to take their breath away, and when Harry finally opened his eyes to see who he had hit, a smile crept onto his face. It was Hermione.  
  
She had opened her eyes and was looking up at him, not speaking. A soft smile crept onto her face as well and she reached up to touch his face.  
  
"You know, it's late," she said to him.  
  
"Yeah, you should be in bed."  
  
"I should be, but I'm not. Instead, I've found myself laying on top of a dashingly beautiful woman on the floor of our common room."  
  
Hermione blushed and smiled, turning her head. Harry reached up and moved her head back to face him. She smiled again and laughed slightly. But was silenced by his kiss. It was their first kiss together.  
  
They laid there that night enjoying the comfort of kissing on a cold floor until they heard the sound of a door creak open, and they quickly stood up, acting like nothing was wrong.  
  
One of the first years came walking down from his dorm, looking down at the two.  
  
"What are you two doing up?" the first year asked.  
  
"Uh, nothing. Just go back to bed," Harry said. The first year shrugged and returned to his room.  
  
Harry turned his attention back to Hermione. She still had a cheshire grin on her face, much like his own. They laughed lightly.  
  
"It really is late, Harry. We should probably get back up to bed."  
  
"You're right. We'll continue this some other time."  
  
Harry gave Hermione a soft kiss and a quick embrace. They both returned to their dorms that night still not able to sleep. The memory of what had just happened kept them awake.  
  
Harry smiled as he thought about that night. And then he looked outside to see that the horizon was getting dark and the sky was being covered up by heavy clouds. The wind was picking up. He felt it in his bones that something was coming.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Ginny heard the familiar sound of footsteps that came walking down the hallway after having just entered the front door moments earlier. She put down her newspaper and turned around to look at him walking in the room.  
  
"Hey, handsome," she said he layed down on the couch across from her. He grunted in reply and laid an arm across his eyes.  
  
She frowned and noticed that his face was a bit paler than usual. Something had happened while he had gone out.  
  
"Draco?" she asked softly. He moved his arm and looked over at her, not saying anything. "What's wrong?" She got up and sat down on the floor next to where he sat, her hand reaching up and brushing some stray hair off of his face.  
  
"I love you," he said, his voice raspy.  
  
"I love you too," she said. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the mouth and pulling away mere seconds later.  
  
"I'd give up my world to be with you. Do you know that?" he said as she climbed on the couch and layed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.  
  
"I do now. What happened today" she asked, her voice filled with worry.  
  
"Nothing that matters now. Nothing at all."  
  
Draco noticed that Ginny had gotten quiet. But when he listened, he could hear her even breaths and feel her chest as it moved against his own. He knew that she had fallen asleep. And he was right behind her.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
The house was quiet and very dark when the clock in the living room struck midnight. Soft padded footsteps could be heard walking down the hallway, pausing twice to peek into the doors of sleeping children. The footsteps continued until they reached the study which was the last door on the right.  
  
The door creaked open and the lights flicked on. An owl sat on a perch on the desk, with a letter attached to its foot. Ron took the letter and paid the owl. It fluttered off through the window the had been left open.  
  
Ron walked over and shut the window as an icy gust of cold wind came hurrying through. He latched the lock and sat down at his desk. He read his name on the front of the envelope and smiled.  
  
He opened it quickly and read what the paper had to say. He was about to throw it away when a brilliant blue flame ate the parchment, leaving nothing but a small pile of ashes in Ron's hand. They too disappeared and Ron was left with nothing more than a content smirk on his face.  
  
He looked up as his wife entered the study. He smiled at her, his hands reaching out to her stomach when she came walking over to him. He let his palms rest just above her navel, feeling the way their child kicked inside.  
  
"It won't be too long now," Moira said as she covered his hand.  
  
Ron grinned almost evily and replied, "No it won't." But the words had more meaning than just a reply to her statement.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP SEVEN  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: please excuse the typos. i know that they're horrible. so how's this for an ending to the chap? i thought it was amusing. god, i just love pissing you guys off with open endings. if you hate it, then MESSAGE ME. or REVIEW and tell me what you think. 


	8. The Return

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP SEVEN  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Just as Hermione had told Harry to be, he was sitting in her living room, watching television and waiting for her to get home the next afternoon. She came walking in looking exhausted, but she brightened up immediately when she saw him there.  
  
"Good, you're here," she said she walked over. She kissed him briefly on the lips before running off to her bedroom to change outof her doctor's uniform.  
  
Harry followed her and plopped down in the center of her bed, making himself comfortable while Hermione changed somewhere near the end of the bed. She paused after pulling her shirt on and looked at him.  
  
"Your jaw isn't swollen, I see," she said as she continued dressing.  
  
"No, that ice brought the swelling down. It's still sore though."  
  
He closed his eyes and took in the scent of her room. The scent of -her-. It was something between lavender and vanilla. A perfect blend.  
  
Harry opened his eyes when he felt the weight of the bed being pressed down. He looked up to see that she was sitting next to him, looking down at his face. Her long brown hair formed a curtain around them as she kised him once again.  
  
"You're wearing robes, I see," Hermione said as she pulled away. Harry stood up and walked to the other room with her.  
  
"Yeah, it's the first time in ten years. I'm surprised they still fit." Harry brushed some lint off of the shoulder of his green velvet robes. He looked over and saw his face in a mirror nearby. His face that had been pale no more than a week ago had color in it. And his eyes that were lifeless now sparkled brightly. All because of her.  
  
"Ready to go?" Hermione said from the doorway.  
  
Harry nodded and walked ove to the door. She walked out first and Harry closed the door behind them. He reached up and took her hand, lacing his fingers in her as they walked out to her car.  
  
Hermione got in on the driver's side and waited until Harry was ready before driving for a half hour to the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Upon arriving, Harry felt very nervous. His hands were shaking and his head felt like it was spinning. He was barely aware of getting out of the car. Hermione took ahold of his hand as they walked into the establishment.  
  
Upon entering, Harry and Hermione met silence. All eyes were on him. And he felt like he was going to be sick. A series of whispers flew throughout the crowd and then choas broke out. Everyone was running up to greet Harry and welcome him back. Many people asked where he had been, but Hermione just steered them towards the back of the pub to the same walled up courtyard that weould take the to Diagon Alley.  
  
The archway appeared and they walked through. Harry inhaled the scent of the air. It was cold and burned his nose, but the smell was still the same. The smell of magic.  
  
Harry and Hermione were both relieved that they weren't bombarded as they had been in the pub, but they didnt swell on the thought and instead walked down the large street.  
  
Harry stopped outside of Quality Quidditch Supplies and looked longingly at the window display. The newest broom on the market was showcased and he felt sad that he could never ride one again.  
  
Hermione saw how his face fell and she drug him away from the window and off to Gringotts where she needed to get money exchanged.  
  
They walked inside and a few of the patrons turned and looked at him. They smiled brightly and some of them came over to talk. It was meaningless conversation that still made Harry feel so happy just becaue they were magical people he was talking to and not just muggles like he had become accustomed to.  
  
Hermione tapped him on the shoulder and pulled him to the nearest available window as he said his goodbyes to the small group of people. He smiled at the goblin in the window, who in return gave him a very confused look.  
  
"I need to exchange this," Hermione said as she handed the goblin a wad of about five hundred pounds. Harry looked at the money and then looked at her.  
  
"Where the hell do you get that kind of money?" he asked.  
  
"I'm very good at what I do," Hermione simply replied as the goblin handed her back a very weighty bag full of coins.  
  
"Yes, you are," Harry said as they walked back out into the cold of the street.  
  
Hermione immediately pulled him over into Flourish and Blotts. She needed a new book to read in her spare time. What she wanted was beyond Harry, but he still browsed through the shop with her until he ran into a familiar face.  
  
Neville Longbottom dropped the book he was looking at and backed into the nearest bookshelf. Harry smiled at Neville brightly, laughing lightly at how he had startled Neville.  
  
"Harry?" Neville said in disbelief. Harry nodded. "Is it really you?" Neville asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's really me," Harry said as he watched Hermione walk to another shelf.  
  
"How the hell are you?" Neville said as he walked over and slapped Harry on the back.  
  
"I'm good. It's been a while since I've seen you," Harry said.  
  
"Yeah, it's been a while since -anyone- has seen you, though. Where in the bloody hell have you been?" Neville asked.  
  
"I've been living in Scotland for a while," Harry said as he ran a hand through his messy hair. He looked at the strands that had fallen in his face, and he realized hat he needed a haircut.  
  
"But no one of our kind has seen you in ten years!" Neville raised his voice a little louder.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Harry laughed nervously. He didn't want to attract too much attention to the conversation.  
  
"Well the point is that you're back. And now everything will be fine," Neville said. "Anyway, I have to get going. My wife is somewhere around here," he said as he waved goodbye to Harry.  
  
"Honey, come here," Hermione called. Harry smiled at the pet name that she had called him.  
  
"Yeah," He said as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. He kissed her temple and looked down at the book. It was mostly text with a few illustrations.  
  
"I need to go and get a new robe. Do you want to go get some lunch first?" she asked as she shut the book.  
  
"I'm not hungry, but if you want to, then that's fine with me."  
  
"No, I'm not very hungry. I'll just have something to eat when we get back," she said as she turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. She leaned up and whispered in his eear, "Maybe I'll have -you-."  
  
Harry beamed brightly and laughed as they walked back outside. The light was growing dim outside as nightfall approached. The temperature had dropped a few more degrees, and it seemed like the street was growing more and more less inhabited by the minute.  
  
"This will be the last stop and then we can leave," Hermione said as they walked in the store. Harry nodded and followed her inside.  
  
"Hello, can I help you?" Madam Malkin walked up to both of them and stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Harry. "No, it can't be," she said as she put her hand over her chest. "Are you, are you really back?" she stuttered.  
  
"Yeah, I'm really back," Harry said as the woman smiled brightly.  
  
"Oh, this is wonderful," she cried. And then she saw that Hermione was waiting. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I jsut got lost in the moment. Can I help you, Dear?"  
  
"Yes, I need to get some new robes."  
  
"Well then step up and we'll have you measured and ready in no time."  
  
Hermione went and stood on a stool in front of a mirror. She looked at Harry who sat in a shair to her left, gazing at her lovingly. She felt herself blush and then she looked at Madam Malkin who was walking up to her.  
  
"What color would you like?" she asked.  
  
About twenty minutes later they walked outside with Hermione's baby blue ribes in a large box that Harry was carrying. Nightfall had bathed the street in darkness and they saw that they wre among some of the only people left on the street, save a few other people that looked to be closing up shops.  
  
They headed back out the way they came, through the Leaky Cauldron and drove back to Hermione's apartment.  
  
They walked in and dropped the robes' box on the table by the door. Harry immediately walked in the kitchen and began to rumage through the refrigerator for something to eat. Hermione came in shortly therafter and looked through the cabinets for food.  
  
Satisfied with what they had both found, they sat on opposite ends of the couch from each other, muching happily. They found a movie on the television and were happy to watch it in silence until the end. Hermione was awake when it was over, but she looked down to se Harry asleep with his head leaned back on the cushion.  
  
She laughed and got up quietly from her position and walked into her bedroom. She pulled out a piece of parchment and found a good quill. She sat down and wrote a short note to Ron about how she had found out why Harry had left. She told him that they were back together and that Harry had been introduced back into the wizarding world. She finished up the letter and sealed it shut just as she heard Harry calling her name from the living room.  
  
"I'm in here," she called as she walked over to her sleeping owl in his cage asleep in the corner of the room.  
  
Harry came walking in and saw her fastening the later to the owl's leg. She let it out the window and closed it quickly, the cold wind biting at her nose.  
  
"Who was that for?" Harry asked.  
  
"Oh, just a note to Ron. I had to tell him that you're back," she said as she was taken into his arms. It wasn't long after that she found herself and Harry in a tangled mass of sheets and comfort for the night.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP EIGHT  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: so this one was another short chap, but i had to end it here. it was the only place unless i wanted the chap to be hella long. jeez, i have written and posted two chaps in one day. i really have NO life. REVIEW! 


	9. The Albino Dragon

a/n: let's see, it's 3.25.02 right now. if by 3.28.02 i don't have at least sixty reviews, the next chap doesn't come out. yes, i'm greedy, i know. but what's an author to do if she doesn't get a pat on the back for her work? but that doesn't mean go and have the same person review many times. that will just make me cancel the writing of the story altogether. so if you haven't reviewed every chapter and are worried about this, then review them all. and don't be mad at me. i just want some recognition. HAPPY REVIEWING!  
  
  
  
IF YOU DIDN'T READ WHAT'S ABOVE, THEN YOU'D BETTER DO IT IF YOU WANT THIS STORY TO CONTINUE!  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Do you think your brothers will ever gert to know or like me?" Draco asked Ginny as he stood in front of the stove, cooking some pasta for dinner. "Not that I care or anything."  
  
"Honestly? They'll probably keep you under close watch, but they might surprise us and make an attempt at friendship one day. Maybe."  
  
Ginny reached over and grabbed her glass of iced tea. She dranbk it noisly, causing Draco to turn around and give her a look. She smiled sweetly at him and finished off the glass, slamming it down on the table.  
  
Draco turned back to his pasta which was now boiling over the rim of the pot. He grabbed two pot holders and gripped the sides, draining the water into the sink a few feet away. Ginny stood up and moved to the cabinet, grabbing a jar of italian tomato sauce that a friend of hers who lived across the hall had given her. She dug around and found a small pan and turned the back burner of the stove on, warming the sauce until it was hot and bubbling.  
  
"Mum owled me this afternoon," Ginny said as she turned the fire off and walked over, wrapping her arms around Draco's waist from behind. He smiled to himself, but pretended to be annoyed, trying his best to shake her off. "I told her to come by tonight. I hope that's alright."  
  
Draco turned around and lifted Ginny up onto the counter next to them. He stood in front of her, pressed up against the counter and in between her legs (a/n: yeah, that doesn't sound too good, but you get the idea).  
  
"You know, that completely ruins my plans for you tonight," Draco said with a smirk.  
  
"You always have plans for me, but I don't think Mum stopping by tonight will interfere with -those- plans."  
  
"I should bloody well hope not," Draco said as he kissed her lips roughly. He pulled back and wrapped a curl of her red hair around his finger. "Just one question."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Did you ever tell your mother that I moved in with you? That I live here now?"  
  
"No, I believe that she left that part out," Mrs. Weasley said as she stood leaning against a wall in the kitchen. Draco jumped and Ginny looked away, a bright blush creeping up onto her face.  
  
"Hello, Ginny dear," Molly said as she took a seat at the kitchen table.  
  
Draco slowly moved away from Ginny and walked back to the stove, taking the pasta and the sauce, pouring them in dishes and setting them quietly on the table. He helped Ginny to get off of the counter. Ginny took a seat on one side of the table while Draco pulled three plates out of the cabinet.  
  
Draco went and took the last remaining seat at the small table, and that was between the two Weasley women.  
  
Ginny was the first to take a large scoop of pasta and pour it on her plate. Draco followed suit, and Molly was last. They ate in an uncomfortable silence for a while. It was killing Ginny and she had to break it.  
  
"How are my brothers'" Ginny asked.  
  
Molly smiled, happy that her daugher had broken the silence. It was beginning to tear at her nerves as well. "They're good. I know it's only been a few days since the last time you all were over, but Charlie stopped by."  
  
Ginny smiled and Molly continued. "He was right happy, he was. Something about an albino dragon. A hatchling, only a few days old. Pearly white scales and green eyes to match. Rare, he says."  
  
"I didn't think that there was such a thing," Draco said as he joined in on the conversation. "I thought they were only myth."  
  
"So did everyone else. He thought he was going to have a heart attack when he saw it." Molly's eyes turned sad. "But he said that the poor thing was gone the next morning. Someone took it in the night."  
  
"The stories all say that the white dragon has great power. It's no wonder that it was taken. I'm surprised they didn't have that thing locked in a cage guarded with a hundred wizards," Draco added.  
  
"Maybe they'll find it," Ginny added hopefully. "If it does have power, hopefully it won't fall into the wrong hands."  
  
Draco stood up and cleared their empty plates away. He walked back over to the table and leaned down, kissing Ginny on the cheek. "I'll be back in a while," he said as he walked around the corner. They heard the front door open and close and he was gone.  
  
"How long had you been standing there?" Ginny asked her mother.  
  
"Long enough."  
  
"What all did you hear?"  
  
"More than I probably should have. Why didn't you tell me that Draco was living with you?"  
  
"I was going to, I really was, but I don't know what stopped me."  
  
Molly frowned and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Does he treat you alright?"  
  
"He treats me like an angel. I jsut wish everyone could look past his father and see him for what he is; a kind, handsome, loving man."  
  
"Do you love him?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
Ginny twirled her necklace around her finger. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "With all my heart," she answered softly.  
  
Molly looked pleased. "Well then I'm happy."  
  
"I would be happier if the guys would give him a chance. They only know what the knew of him in school. But he's changed, Mum. He's not the same as he was."  
  
Molly nodded in agreement. "How did you manage to get your hands on him?" Molly asked after a minute or two of silence.  
  
"I found him drunk in the Leaky Cauldron one afternoon," Ginny said. Her mother looked startled, but she continued anyway. "By the looks of him I could tell that he had gotten in a pretty good row with someone. I didn't ask any question, and just brought him home with me. Turned out it was his father that had done the damage."  
  
"Lucius Malfoy was a cruel, evil man," Molly said with force. "It's a good thing you got Draco away from him."  
  
"Oh, Draco went back home after I nursed his hangover the next morning. But not without putting up with a fight from me."  
  
"You should have chained him to the bed."  
  
"I threatened him. But in the end he left, and it wasn't long after that that he kept coming back. And the rest is pretty obvious," Ginny said with a small smile.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
His wand. It had been a while since he had touched it. Years in fact. And now he had the drawer that it was secretly kept in open, and his hadn was poised over it, wanting nothing more than to make magic. But he couldn't.  
  
He picked up the wand anyway and held it in his right hand. He smiled at the familiar feel. The sleek handle and the long, eleven inch length. He jumped when he heard a loud pop from behind him. It was the sound of someone apparating.  
  
"Be careful with that thing. You wouldn't want to use it," the man said as he took a step forward. "I told you I'd be back."  
  
"What do you want?" Harry said sharply.  
  
"Oh, nothing really. Just popped in for a check up. The Dark Lord like me to do that, you know."  
  
Harry looked at him sharply. He didn't like to be taunted, especially with threats from Voldemort's death eaters. And that's what he presumed this man was.  
  
Both of them turned as they heard the front door open. Harrry tried to swallow as the knot in his throat began to rise. A thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione's voice called from the living room.  
  
"Well well, who could that be?" The man said as he walked out of the room to go and inspect. Harry ran out of the room after him with his wand still in his hand.  
  
Hermione stopped where she stood when she saw a man walk out of Harry's study. She had never seen him before, but instantly knew that he was not a good person. Fear crept into her as he walked over to look at her.  
  
"Not bad, I say," the man said as he ran a hand over Hermione's hair. "Is this the one that you gave it up for?"  
  
Harry just stared at him blankly, not answering anything.  
  
"I thought so," the man said as he ran a hand down the length of her arm. She shuddered at the touch. "What's wrong, Love? I just want to have a little fun."  
  
Harry stepped forward to pull him off of Hermione, but it backfired and in one quick motion the man had Hermione held against his chest, one arm around her throat. The other reached down inside his pocket and pulled out a short wand.  
  
"Don't even think about it, Potter. You can't do anything to me. I've got you -and- her in check."  
  
"Let her go," Harry said through clenched teeth. "Let her go now."  
  
"Oh, come on, I just want to have a little fun with her. What say you, Love?" The man brought his face down to plant a disgusting kiss on her cheek. A tear ran out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Fuck you," she said strongly.  
  
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." The man reached up and tore at Hermione's shirt. She screamed, but it didn't do any good. The man threw Hermione down on the floor and began to attack her.  
  
Harry didn't hesitate to run over and jump on the man, tearing him away from Hermione. The man didn't look happy, and shot a punch into the jaw that was still healing from the last time he had hit it. Harry ducked and as the man lurched forward, Harry brought his leg up to kick him in the stomach.  
  
The time seemed to slow down as the man brought his wand up to point it at Harry. He opened his mouth to say a spell, but Harry beat him to it, yelling 'Expelliarmus' loudly and clearly as the man's wand flew out of his hand.  
  
Immediately knowing what he did, Harry dropped both wands and turned to see the look on Hermione's face. It was one of pure shock. And when he turned to look at the man he had used the spell on, he saw that he was already up and running toward Hermione. Harry blocked his path, but then there was the sound of several pops and Harry turned to see many men in matching black robes grabbing Hermione, aparating away with her.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Perfect," the man in the black hooded robes said. He walked around a large glass cage staring intently at the center prize. A rare albino dragon. "I trust you had no trouble getting it here?"  
  
The dragon let out a small puff of smoke through its nostrils. Its green eyes opened and stared back at the two men conversing outside of its cage. It opened its wings and tried to move them some, but being so young it couldn't do much more than sway them a little. THis pleased the man in the black.  
  
The dragon's keeper, a man with long, flowing red hair responded in kind, "No, none at all, My Lord."  
  
"Good. Will you be staying to help care for it until the time comes?"  
  
"I'm afraid I have to be getting back. They'll wonder where I've gone to, My Lord." He turned to walk out of the door. He threw a glance over his shoulder at the man in the black. "But I'll send someone to watch it."  
  
And with that he left the room, shutting the door behind him.  
  
A servant entered through the same door mooments later. He bowed at the hooded man and said quietly, "He performed a spell My Lord."  
  
"I know he did. And the girl?"  
  
"She has been brought here and is now currently in a holding cell down the hall."  
  
"Good. Make sure she is guarded at all times. We wouldn't want anyone showing up to take her away, now would we?"  
  
"No, My Lord."  
  
"That is all."  
  
The servant turned and left the room. Voldemort turned back to the glass dragon cage. The baby albino inside had closed his eyes and was apparently sleeping peacefully.  
  
His plan was falling into place quickly. Although a little sooner than he had expected. But things would work out all the same within due time. And then he would be rid of Harry Potter and have the wizarding world in his grasp.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END CHAP NINE  
  
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READ THIS! VERY IMPORTANT!  
  
a/n: so i wasn't very happy with the ending of this chapter. i had to rewrite the end paragraph seven times, but nothing fit. It jsut doesn't make me happy. but anyway...thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story. it's much appreciated. 


	10. Lost Son Prophecy

a/n: since hermione is gone, harry is just gonna give up on fearing for her life. he's going to use magic now. and i'd like to apologize for my lack of using the spellchecker. it just doesn't work, so get used to my typos. there are lots. and i saw that a lot of you weren't happy with me not wanting to go on without reviews. well, there were over sixty within the first day, so make sure you keep reviewing. who knows when i may want to hold up the posting of chapters again ;)  
  
  
  
It was around dinnertime when Harry had finally made it to Hogwarts. He was on his broom for the first time in years and it felt great. He had forgotten how the wind felt in his face, the smell of the air...  
  
When he had finally gotten to Hogwarts, his light mood from flying had quickly diminished leaving the raw anger to surface. He opened the large door to the castle and walked inside. He knew he would find Dumbledore in the Great Hall for dinner.  
  
Harry walked up to the doors, his eyes turning dark as he realized that with each moment he spent talking to Dumbledore, he would be wasting another precious moment of Hermione's life if he wasn't careful.  
  
He opened the doors with all of his strength and walked down the aisle between the two middle tables. He was aware that everyone's eyes were on him as he strode up to the staff table with his royal green robes billowing out behind him. He thought of how much he probably had the look of Sirius on his face as he paused in front of a very shocked Dumbledore.  
  
"Harry," Dumbledore nodded as the initial shock left his body. "What are you doing here? And in your robes, I thought you gave them up-"  
  
"She's gone," Harry said sharply. "I don't know what I was thinking when I did it- Can we talk somewhere a little more privately?" Harry said with annoyance.  
  
Dumbledore stood up and Harry followed him to his office down the hallway a ways. They both stood in the middle of the room.  
  
"What happened?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"A man was trying to attack her, and he pulled his wand, and I had mine, and I yelled a spell."  
  
"What were you doing with your wand?"  
  
"I was just holding it, and then that death eater showed up." Harry burried his head in his hands and let out a strangled sigh. "We have to get her back. We have to do it now."  
  
"All in good time, Harry." Dumbledore sat down at his desk and laced his fingers together in deep thought. Harry grew angry.  
  
"No," he said in a whisper. He slammed his hands down on Dumbledore's desk angrily and shouted, " No! We have to go now!"  
  
"I'm afraid there's nothing that we can do for her right now. Voldemort has her and if everything is the way is was foretold-"  
  
"Foretold?"  
  
"Yes, Harry." Dumbledore stood up and opened a cabinet to his left. He shuffled through some things before pulling out a large, dusty old book. He brought it back to the desk and flipped through it, stopping on a marked page. "Here," Dumbledore said, handing Harry the book.  
  
Harry held the book in his lap and looked at the yellowish colored page. He read the words on the page to himself, his soul still burning with rage from what was taken from him just hours before.  
  
In the great time of fear  
  
That which was safe will become unstable  
  
Taking the life of its only son  
  
Until his return for love  
  
Will the star open the gate  
  
For the white power upon wings will sacrifice  
  
The flaming fire which drives the ice  
  
To the side of the victorious against those  
  
Not foretold to create the life  
  
That will save us all  
  
Harry looked up at Dumbledore with questioning eyes. He shut the book and handed it back to him.  
  
"You see, Harry, you are the son. You are the one that will protect us all."  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
"Go see what he wants," Draco said lazily as he rolled over on his pillow. An owl was tapping at the window and he didn't feel like getting out of bed to go and get the mail.  
  
Ginny frowned and crawled out of bed angrily, being sure to throw the covers off of him as she did so. He groaned and growled in protest, but she didn't really care as she strode to the window. She unlatched it and the creature came lying in. It gave Ginny a single letter before flying back out the way it had come. Not five seconds later another owl came flying in through the window carrying a matching letter.  
  
Ginny sat down on the edge of the bed and tossed Draco's letter at him. It hit his back and he opened his eye to look over at her.  
  
Ginny opened her envelope and began to read quietly.  
  
Dearest Virginia,  
  
I know it has been long since we have talked. You are nine years out of Hogwarts and have probably long forgotten about me. But this is not a letter of formality. There is trouble in the wizarding world. I am sending letters out to a few select people pleading for their help. I plead for yours. Meet me and the others in the Great Hall of Hogwarts this very night, and bring your wands. You'll need them.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
"Draco," Ginny hissed. She turned around and shook his houlder very hard. "Wake up, damnit!"  
  
"What?" Draco sat up on his elbows and looked over at her. He saw the seriousness in her eyes and quickly lost his angry tone. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"There's trouble. Read your letter."  
  
Draco picked up the letter that Ginny had thrown at his and opened it. He read it while Ginny's eyes bore into the back of his head. A chill ran up his spine and he closed the letter.  
  
"I know it's early, but we leave now. Get dressed," Draco said as he rushed out of bed.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
The students at Hogwarts knew something was up when they were told not to enter the Great Hall for dinner. Instead, they were taken to their common rooms where they were fed there. Dumbledore sat at the end of the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall, waiting for his guests to arrive.  
  
The doors swung open and the first to come through were Ginny and Draco. Dumbledore stood up and looked at them awkwardly as they walked up, Draco's arm slung carelessly over Ginny's shoulder.  
  
"I'm glad you two could make it. And together, I see," Dumbledore said with a bemused smile.  
  
"Yes, well, I guess it's not everyday that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor get together, now is it?" Ginny said as she looked up at Draco.  
  
"No, I guess it isn't."  
  
Fifteen minutes passed before the doors opened again and Harry was the one to come walking through. He stopped in his steps when he saw Ginny and Draco standing there talking to Dumbledore.  
  
Ginny turned and looked at Harry who was openly gaping at where her hand and Draco's hand were entwined.  
  
"I can't believe it's you!" Harry said as he came running up to Ginny. Ginny turned and wrapped her arms around his neck as he came up to her. Draco watched with a smirk on his face.  
  
The rest of the people showed up within good time and the numbers grew to that of at least twenty people including Harry, Dumbledore, Ginny, Draco, the Weasley Twins, Remus Lupin, and many witches and wizards thast Harry did not know.  
  
"Is Ron coming?" Harry asked Dumbledore.  
  
"I sent him an owl, but I guess he isn't," Dumbledore said, furrowing his brow. Harry looked a bit frustrated, but it was gone as soon as Dumbledore asked everyone in the circle to have a seat somewhere and listen up. they did as they were told.  
  
"I have asked you all here because there is trouble. Hermione Granger, a former Hogwarts student and muggle doctor has been taken by Voldemort. She is a very valuable asset to this community, and we need her back."  
  
A few people nodded their heads and Dumbledore continued. "I don't know if any of you are familiar with the Lost Son prophecy, but I will recite it for you." Dumbledore told them the prophecy. Some looked disturbed and others just sat there with emotionless faces.  
  
"Now it is for the most part easy to understand, but some parts still need to be deciphered. If any of you have ideas on what 'fire and ice' or 'white power on wings' is, then speak now."  
  
Draco looked up. "Maybe the fire and ice are people."  
  
Dubledore rested his chin on his knuckles and sat in thought for a moment. "You may be right, but there are a number of people that it could be."  
  
Draco shrugged. Another man with long black hair spoke up, "Maybe the white power on wings is the stolen dragon."  
  
"Now that's a very good possibility. We should be careful to prepare for that."  
  
The meeting conitnued on into the night while Harry sat at the back of the group, gripping his knuckles and using every last bit of strength not to get up and run out of the room to look for his beloved.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Hermione sat up and pressed her back against the cold stone of her cell. It was dark and she was cold. Voices were coming from down the hall and she could hear footsteps approaching quickly. Many footsteps.  
  
The entourage of men in black robes stopped just outside of the cell door and let their leader, Hermione presumed, step forward. The bars to the door flung open and he stepped inside.  
  
Hermione felt a sudden coldness come over her body. It was almost like being in the presence of the dementors. But this was more frightening. And she moved to the far corner, trying her best to get as far away as she could from this man, this creature.  
  
He walked to the center of the cell and stood on the stone floor staring at her, though Hermione couldn't see his face because the hood prevented it. He chuckled lightly at her shaking form.  
  
"You are the one that the Lost Son prophecy told of. You are one half of the equation that could bring down my reign." The man pulled back his hood to reveal a face that was not human. Yellow, almost scale-like skin with slits for a nose and almond shaped red eyes. This was Lord Voldemort.  
  
Hermione felt the blood leave her face as she stared into the eyes of Voldemort. She had only heard of this man, but never seen him. And now that she had, she wished she hadn't.  
  
"Before the sun sets tomorrow evening, you will be dead. I will leave you to ponder this for a while," Voldemort said menacingly.  
  
Hermione felt very light headed at this newly presented information. She saw the spots begin to form in front of her eyes and the last thing she knew was the cackling of the Dark Lord as she passed out into darkness on the cold floor.  
  
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a/n: mwahahahaha! yeah, is it just me, or does it seem like my chaps are getting shorter? oh well. thanks to all of my reviewers. i would thank you individually, but that takes more time than i have patience for. just know that i am eternally greatful for the help. and just as a secret, if you post ideas for a story, i might use them. i need a good idea for my next epic. REVIEW! 


	11. On the Horizon

a/n: hey guys. sorry this post took so long. ummm....since there aren;t many dark arts spells or anything, i had to make the ones in thsi chap up. don't criticize if you haven't heard of them. they're not anythign jk has written....  
  
  
  
Dumbledore had decided that they all needed to get some rest before going out and searching for Voldemort and Hermione. It hadn't been an easy choice to accept, but Harry had reluctantly agreed in the end. And now Harry was being violently shaken from his light slumber in his cot made with the others on the floor of an empty classroom.  
  
Harry opened his eyes, and immediately saw the face of Lucius Malfoy. Harry began to yell, but Lucius clamped his hand over Harry's mouth and whispered in his ear.  
  
"Lord Voldemort requests the presence of you and three of your choosing for a gathering." Lucius took his hand off of Harry's mouth and roughly helped him to stand up. "Quietly wake the three."  
  
Harry stood and thought for a minute. He looked at Dumbledore who was sitting up in a chair asleep and immediately knew that he would be one to go. He walked over and roused him softly. Dumbledore's shocked eyes met Harry's when he saw Lucius Malfoy. Harry spoke softly into Dumbledore's ear about what was happening.  
  
Harry turned around and saw Draco and Ginny wrapped in each other on a small pile of blankets in the floor near the farthest edge of the room. He remembered how strong he had heard Ginny's skills had gotten in her seventh year, and he immediately knew that she would be one to go. And Draco as well since he was well equipped for the dark arts that his father had taught him in the early part of his life.  
  
He walked over and roused them, letting them know the situation. Draco's eyes met his father's, and he looked away from him, knowing that this was the end of any relationship he had with his father. It would be hard fighting against him, no matter how much Lucius deserved it.  
  
Ginny gripped tight onto Draco's hand and met Lucius' shocked eyes when he realized that his son had been with a Weasley. Ginny smirked mockingly and leaned over to kiss Draco's cheek, making sure that Lucius was watching.  
  
Lucius sneered and then motioned for Harry and the three of his companions to follow him outside in the hallway.  
  
"I have a portkey that will take us to our destination. It will be activated in," Lucius paused to look at his muggle watch. "Fifteen seconds."  
  
Lucius pulled a six inch ruler out of one of the inside pockets of his cloak. He held it out and the four other hands touched it. They all looked back and forth to each other, giving small smiles and looks of reassurance. But Harry did not feel reassured. If anything, he felt like his stomach was going to come up through his throat. And when the portkey was activated, the feeling increased.  
  
The journey seemed to go on forever until they landed again on hard ground. Harry stumbled to stay standing up. He looked around to see where he was, only noting that he didn't recognize anything except that they were outside. Dawn was approaching and light from the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon.  
  
The four people stood close together, afriad to go almost anywhere, and when a large door from a building behind them they hadn't seen opened, they all nearly jumped out of their skin. A large group of people dressed in all black walked out. They were in neat rows of two and stood about four feet apart. Somewhere in the middle of their group stood a single person, and Harry began to clutch his head in pain.  
  
Draco, Ginny, and Dumbledore turned around to see Harry on his knees, clutching his head in pain.  
  
The line of people stopped and what they assumed was their leader walked forward to the small group. Before they got their they all knew who he was. It could only have been one person. Voldemort.  
  
He pulled his hood back to show them his face, and Ginny heard herself gasp. Draco stepped in front of her, obviosuly trying his best to protect her from him. Voldemort would have found this funny if he weren't grabbing Harry's arm, pulling him to a standing position.  
  
"It's been a while, Harry," Voldemort said in a very calm, soothing voice. "And yes, I have what you want." Voldemort snapped his fingers and two of the deather eaters in black cloaks turned around and went back inside. Several moments later they carried out Hermione. She was bound by the wrists with a simple piece of muggle rope, and her mouth was covered with a piece of cloth. She was held tightly on the upper arms by the two men that had gone to get her.  
  
"I see this sparks your interest," Voldemort said with a grin. "I'll make you a trade right now. Your power for her life. I'll be the most powerful person in all the world and you'll be the happiest. What say you?"  
  
Harry could see Hermione's eyes pleading with him not to do it. He would do anything in his power to save her, but letting Voldemort take over the world wasn't one of them. He shook his head slowly and watched Voldemort's face turn from a grin to a smirk.  
  
"Then I guess we'll just have to do things the hard way." He paused and looked deep into Harry's eyes. Without anyone realizing it, he pulled out his wand and yelled at Harry," Crucio!"  
  
Harry felt the needle hot pain stab at his skin and burn his bones. He could feel his eyelids convulsing and the ground hit his knees as he fell. Everything was on fire. And then he began to scream.  
  
Dumbledore took out his wand and aimed it at Voldemort. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled, but Voldemort's wand stayed content in its owner's hand. But Dumbledore had managed to stop the Cruciatus Curse from drilling at Harry anymore.  
  
"Well, if it isn't Albus Dumbledore. I believe you need to watch this from elsewhere. -SIT DOWN-!" Vodlemort yelled the last two words forcefully and Dumbledore went flying backwards into a tree. He slumped over with a moan of pain and a dull thud.  
  
"Draco Malfoy," Voldemort said as he walked over to Draco, looking him up and down. "You certainly do look like your father. It's too bad that you had to go off and bring him such shame. You could have amounted to greatness."  
  
Draco held his head high, not letting any fear or emotion come to his face. "I will not let your sadistic beliefs control me."  
  
"What a shame." Voldemort lifted his wand at Draco's chest and shouted, "Firente Infernium!"  
  
Draco fell to his knees and grabbed at his chest. A wickedly hot pain was shooting through his heart. He cried out and kept tearing at his chest while Voldemort laughed on maniacally.  
  
Ginny watched all of this happening until she realized that Voldemort was no longer laughing. Instead, he was looking straight at her. He took a few steps forward with his wand held lightly in his left hand. He looked at Ginny through his red eyes and watched as a thin layerof sweat broke out on her forehead.  
  
"Well, what do we have here? A Weasley?" Voldemort laughed a little and watched as Harry helped Draco stand back on his feet. He made no attempt to do anything about them and instead began to step back to his group of death eaters.  
  
"You know," Voldemort said. "We had an initiation ceremony last night." Voldemort almost looked proud of himself. "And come to think of it..." Voldemort's voice trailed off as he walked over to one of the death eaters in black. He grabbed a handful of the hood. "I think you have more ties to the dark than you would like."  
  
Ginny, Harry, and Draco all watched in horror as Voldemort pulled the death eaters hood back to reveal Ron. He did not meet anyone's eyes. Instead, he kept them focused to the ground.  
  
"I think it's time for thigs to start. After all, I did make a promise to Miss Granger, here. Didn't I?" Voldemort said as he walked to the front to look at her. She turned her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at him.  
  
"Let us begin with the white dragon that was stolen a while back. Did you ever wonder what happened to it?" Voldemort paused to let anyone say anything. "Well, let me solve that mystery." Voldemort clapped his hands together and Charlie Weasley came walking from around the corner with a dragon just a bit smaller than the size of a normal man on a chain in front of him.  
  
Ginny gasped and reached back to grab onto Draco. He gripped her arm, steadying her. This was two of her family that were involved with Voldemort. She felt dizzy.  
  
"Let it go," Harry said through clenched teeth.  
  
"All in good time, Potter." Voldemort looked over at the dragon as it stood by Charlie's side. "You know, the thing about white dragons are that they stay loyal to their masters. And in a few more weeks, this thing will be as large as a house."  
  
"You'll be dead by the time he gets that big," Draco spat.  
  
"Will I, now?" Voldemort smirked. "I wonder. Are you all familiar with the Lost Son prophecy? That's a bad question to ask. Of course you are. Have you figured it out yet?"  
  
The three comrades looked back and forth between each other. They did't want to answer Voldemort.  
  
"Well, you see, you, Harry, are the lost son. Hermione here is the love, and the dragon is the white power on wings. But now there was something about fire and ice, wasn't there?"  
  
Ginny looked up and caught Ron's eyes. She could see shame there and glared at him intently until she heard Voldemort say her name with a certain terrifying tone.  
  
"Now I don't know if you or young Malfoy have noticed this yet, but you two are the only people here today aside from Dumbledore over there," Voldemort said as he pointed at the tree that the old wizard was lsumped under. "That haven't been brought up in this conflict."  
  
"What are you saying?" Draco asked fiercely.  
  
"You, Malfoy, are ice. Your girlfriend here, is fire. And the prophecy specifically states," Voldemort paused and reached inside his robes. "That a sacrifice be made." Voldemort pulled out a dagger and lashed out at Ginny, lodging the knife in her chest.  
  
Ginny inhaled deeply and took a stumbling step backward. She grabbed at the knife and began to fall as Draco caught her. He held her in his arms and layed her gently on the ground as the tears welled up in his eyes.  
  
"Draco," Ginny said as the blood began to leak all over her robes. She let a tear slip out of the side of her eye. Draco looked absolutely pale as he wiped some hair out of her face.  
  
"Ginny," he cried. "Don't go. You can't leave me. We're supposed to be together forever, remember? Ginny?!" Draco became frnatic as the color began to quickly leave Ginny's face.  
  
She reached a hand up and caressed his face softly. She said shakily, "I love you." And then her hand dropped as she was gone.  
  
Draco laid her on the hard ground and stayed crouched for a moment. The world seemed to go in slow motion and Draco didn't even notice that Harry had begun to battle with Voldemort. After a few moments he stood and turned to see that the death eaters were looking up and pointing.  
  
Draco turned his head to see a large group of witches and wizards on broomsticks flying in their direction. Draco hoped that they were on his side, although it wouldnt matter if they weren't. Now that Ginny was gone, nothing mattered.  
  
As the people began to touch ground, Draco recognized some of them from Hogwarts.  
  
All chaos broke out at that point in time. There were curses being thrown left and right and Draco stood in the middle of everything next to Ginny's limp form. He began to feel the rage build up inside of him and he barely felt his legs as he ran to where Harry was battling Voldemort.  
  
"Good of you to join me," Harry said as he shouted a spell at Voldemort. The man hissed and scratched at his eyes. Just as quickly as he took the spell, he threw another one back at Harry.  
  
"I have an idea," Draco said as he ran off.  
  
Charlie Weasley was still standing off to the side, holding onto the chain that held the dragon back. He straightened up and looked Draco straight in the eye as he walked up.  
  
"You know, I never thought I'd see the day when a Weasley would just stand there and let his little sister die." draco walked over to Charlie and punched him, breaking his nose under the punch. Charlie dropped the chain and grabbed his nose. The dragon began to walk off, but Draco turned around with his back to Charlie and grabbed the chain instead.  
  
"And this," Draco said and he turned around sharply, ramming his elbow into the side on Charlie's head, knocking the Weasley to the ground, "Is for my lonliness."  
  
Draco smiled despite himself and walked up to stare the dragon in his eyes. Immediately there was an understanding between them and Draco pulled the dragon back with him over to Harry.  
  
"Look what I found," Draco said as he stopped next to Harry who was recovering from what looked to have been the Cruciatus Curse. Voldemort stopped what he was doing and looked at Draco.  
  
"Give me the chain, boy!" Voldemort shouted, sticking his hand out. "Give it to me!"  
  
"I'll make you a deal," Draco said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'll give you this chain if you promise to go to hell when you die." While Voldemort looked confusingly at the blonde man, Draco looked over at Harry who seemed to know what his thoughts were. Draco dropped the chain and pulled out his wand, Harry did the same. Before Voldemort could do anything, the two combined powers were shouting the Avada Kedavra Curse at Voldemort.  
  
A bright green flahs lit the field and the fighting people around them stopped to turn and watch as the light hit Voldemort, knocking him lifelessly to the ground. Harry turned to Draco who looked very shaken from what had just taken place.  
  
"We did it," Harry breathed. "He's gone." Harry walked over and looked down at the once powerful Voldemort. Now he was nothing more tahn a lifeless body laying on the ground.  
  
Draco turned and crouched back on the ground next to Ginny. He pulled her into his arms and cried into her chest. He cried for her loss, and for his loss, and then he cried because he had never cried before in his life.  
  
Harry watched this from afar and realized that Hermione was somewhere on this field. He tore his gaze from Draco and Ginny and looked around for her. It wasn't hard to see her since most of the deather eaters were being chained by ministry people who had shown up with the group from Hogwarts at the beginnning of the fight.  
  
Harry walked over to the tree that Dumbledore was slouched under. Hermione was there, untied and ungagged, and was checking for Dumbledore's pulse. She pulled her hand back and shook her head at Harry. Harry bowed his head ad helped her to stand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried softly.  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry murmered into her hair.  
  
Hermione lifted her head and smiled at Harry. Just then a loud roar could be heard and Harry and Hermione turned around to see that the dragon had spread its wings and was now flying off into the evening. It got as far away to where they couldn't see it anymore and then a bright flash was seen on the horizon.  
  
A new star was simultaneously lit in the sky above their heads, flashing brightly.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
Epilogue:  
  
By the end of the fight many lives had been lost. Ginny Weasley had been the first and her funeral was held two days later, Draco being the one that spoke of her life.  
  
Dumbledore was also lost in this conflict. The entire wizard world mourned his loss for days, and Hogwarts was never again the same.  
  
Ron Weasley, after having witnessed the death of his sister, had given up on being a death eater. He was the one who had released Hermione, and he was responsible for killing himself in shame that same day on the battlefield.  
  
Voldemort, of course, was killed and his death was celebrated throughout the year.  
  
Things had gotten back to normal for everyone and Harry had decided to settle down back into his life after things were alright. He and Hermione started a family the next year. They had a daughter that they named Virginia, and another on the way.  
  
Lucius Malfoy was not heard from after that one fateful day. He and a few deatheaters had gotten away before things had turned bad. Draco spends his life ins earch of killing those who caused his grief. He still has not lived it down.  
  
But the memory of what happened lives on for all of those still alive. The memory is in a bright star that stays consistant every night in the northern sky. A guide for all those who are without hope.  
  
But more than anything it is a promise of love for Harry and Hermione. After all, it was because of love that the star shines on even in the sky today.  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
END STORY  
  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
  
a/n: thanks to dta1225 for looking up the stuff for me. what did you guys think? personally, i thought taht this chap was a bitch to write. and it wasn't all that great. but i was never much one for deep stories with any meaning that has more than fluff. if something is left unanswered, message me and i will answer those questions, or email me. but most of all....REVIEW! 


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